Means for preventing the separation of pairs of socks and the like during laundering



Dec. 29, 1953 R. J. BOHMAN MEANS FOR PREVENTING THE SEPARATION OF PAIRS OF SOCKS AND THE LIKE DURING LAUNDERING Filed June 14, 1951 INVENTOR Patented ec. 29, 1953 EN T OF F I CE.

THE SEPARATIGN or PAIRS oF'sooKs AND THEILIKE DUR- IN G LAUNDE'RING itebertlos'enh Bellman; Englcwood, N. J. Application jimel l, 1951, SeriaINCLZELEGS The present invention relates to a method and means for keeping pairs of socks and other aif= ticles together during laundering so as to avoid loss of sock mates, niis-match'ing of sock pairs or the intermingling of. severalpairs of socks. or other articles.

It is well known that, after the laundering or a plurality of pairs of socks'orotherarticles composed of left and right mates, there is considerable difficulty and delay in connection with sorting and matching operations and; while this is true of home laundering, it is true on a hitch greater scale in commercial laundries where larger batches. of clothing are washed. or laundered as a single batch. The result is that many times it is difficult or tedious to i e-match the pairs of socks or the like, par'ticula'rly when they differ only relatively slightly in color or material. Frequently, also, one sock is lost, thus destroying, the value and utility of the pair of socks. While the present invention is designed to overcome the foregoing and other difficulties in a simple and! inexpensive manner with especial reference to" sucks, it will be understood that the invention applies to other articles of clothing, such as stock'- ings, gloves, etc.

It is, therefore, an object of the present-inv'en tion to-provide a simple, inexpensive and" readily applied method and means for preventing separation and loss ofsooks and the like during laundering and for eliminating the necessity for rematching and re-a'sse'mbling' the pairs ofso'c'k's or the like after laundering.

A further object of the invention resides providing each pair of socks or the like with in.-

terfitting or interconnectingfasteners of simple,

unobjectionable form which do not interfere with the normal use of the socks and which do not detract from their appearance.

Other and still further objects and advantages" will be understood and appreciated by those will be apparent or pointed skilled in this artrorout hereinafter;

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. I shows portions of' a pair of socks provided with interconnecting fastener elements in accordance with the present invention, the pair of socks being shown in disassembled positiom" Fig. 2 shows the socks of Fig. 1 connected and assembled'ready for the laundering-procedure;-

Fig, 3 illustrates a portion of a pair of socks provided with a modified formofinterconnected fastening elements;

Fig: 4" is a top plan view ofFig. 3 showing the detached socks of Fig, 3- inassembled interconnected position;

Fig. 5' is a view similar to Fig. lof a further modified form" of the invention;

Fig. 6 shows a portion" of the" pair of disassembled socks of Fig. 5 in assembled interconnected position; and.

Figs. '7' and 8" are similar views of a still further modified form of theinve'ntion;

Referring, first, to Figs; 1 and" 2" of the dra ings, the numeral iii designates adjacent ten per: tions of a pair of seeks; such sock is provided near its top or open end; with a small piece of tape H which is stills-he'd as's'hown' at it or" otherwise" secured to tnesoei: material. This tape is of any" suitable or con venient material", such as cotton 0'1" linen cloth; an'd'is readily available on the-market in strip or tape form; Each such piece of tape it preren ably double-cl for increased strength and life but may be used in a single thickness; Each" such tape. it is also provided, asshownwith one o'i the interfitting or interconnecting elements #3,

it of snap fastener or other inexpensive form of interfi'ttingv or. inter onnecting fastening elements. As shown in Fig. 1, the male fastener element is designated as it and the fe'maleas it. In Fig. 2 the socks are shown in their intercoi'rnested or fastened condition as distinguished from the separated condition Of'Flg. 1.

It willf be understood that a pair of'socks pro vided with the present invention is, after being taken eff of the wearer and'p'rior' dered', fastened together. fastening elements. In this interconnected condition thep'air of socks is laundered at home or sentout with. other articles to a commercial laundry and in either caseis laundered whi'lein: theseparably attached condition along with other pairs of socks and/or other'artioles of clothing,

and the nature: of thefas'tening elements is such as to keep the socks securely" in. connected'condition during laundering and handling. Thus, when laundering is completed; the pair of socks is still attached and it is unnecessary to hunt for matching socks and'tlie likelihood of the less r one sock of a pair is-elim'inated." Where a plotrality of pairs of socks are laundered which are of. similar. color or relatively new and some ofwhich worn, it is easy t'okeep the correct pairs together at all times and to avoid mi'sm'atchingi, the trouble 01". matching. and the loss drone of a pair of" socks.

is such, however, that, should" it. be desired or necessary for any ancillary purpose to separate the socks temporarily, they can be readily separated and then ,re-attacheci.

are relatively As will be noted, each by its interconnecting materialor some or whioli are The natureof the fastening elements In Figs. 3 and a I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the socks its are provided at their upper edges with a tape lid which, instead of being a small rectangle or section of tape secured to one side of the upper end of each sock, is, in effect, a U -shaped piece of tape extending over the upper edge of each such sock and thereby providing a substantially strengthened base for the fastener. The stitching iza goes through both portions of each piece of tape Ila which covers and protects the upper edge of the sock. The stitching also passes through the sock itself, thereby providing an exceptionally useful mounting means for the interconnecting fastening element portions Ba and i la. The male element is designated by the numeral lite and the female element by the numeral 40., Fig. 3 showing the socks and the fastener elements separated and Fig. 4 showing them in interconnected position viewed in plan from above. d

This particular form of the invention has been found to be extremely satisfactory and of long life.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the male and female fastener elements It!) and Mb, respectively, are secured directly to the socks it near the upper edges of such socks and do not require the use of tape, the fastener elements being of that Well-known type which have a locking or clamping ring on the opposite side 7 of the material which holds the fastener elements in place directly on the sock material. This form of the invention is of particular utility in connection with socks made of finer or stronger material or where tapes are not available or desired to be placed upon the socks. Thus, the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3 is nearly invisible since the fastener elements and/or clamping ring may be enameled or otherwise colored so as to match the socks or to be of some coloration of relatively low visibility. Fig. 5 shows a pair of socks provided with such a modified form of the invention and Fig. 6 shows such socks in detachably fastened or interconnected position as contrasted with the separated positions of the socks of Fig. 5.

It will be understood and appreciated that other types of interconnecting or intermating fastening elements may be employed without departing from the invention and Figs. '7 and 8 show such a variant. In Fig. 7, the sock 9c is provided with a tape lie of the type of that (i la) of Fig. 3-i. e., wherein the tape material extends over the edge of the sock material and down on the other side thereof. Such tapes are stitched in position as shown at i2c. However, in contrast to the manner of applying the tape referred to above in connection with Fig. 3, the tape of Fig. '7 is of slightly greater extent than would otherwise be required in order to provide a small passageway between the top of the sock and the arcuate portion of the tape which passes over the top edge of the sock. Into this passageway is inserted the base of the D-shaped metal or plastic loop I30, the base portion of which will be seen in Fig. 8 and which is preferably split, as indicated at 30, so that the loop can be mechanically spread to apply it or to remove it. It is understood, however, that loop 30 need not be split since it can be placed in position and the tape passed thereover and then stitched in position. Loop l3c corresponds to the fastener elements i3, 13a. and 322 of the previously described embodiments of the invention. The triangular metal or plastic loop Me, which corresponds in nature and function to fastener elements H5, Ma and Nb of the previously described embodiments of the invention, is similarly secured in position on the other mate lac of the pair of socks. Loop Me is provided with a split so that the loop I30 may be inserted into and removed from the central opening of loop Mo, which is made in the general manner of a key-ring. Thus, the socks of Figs. '2 and 8 are interconnected by securing together the loops 13c and Mo and disassembly is readily accomplished by forcing loop 13c out through the slit l lc'.

It will, consequently, be apparent that various fastening instrumentalities of an interfitting or interconnecting nature may be used in carrying my present invention into effect and that the benefits of the invention are not necessarily dependent upon the precise form of the fastening instrumentality per se and, therefore, various fastening instrumentalities may be used so long as they are suitable and do not have any adverse efiect upon the sock material. Thus, when a pair of socks is fastened together and subjected to laundering along with other pairs of socks and/or other articles of clothing, the pair of socks is retained in assembled condition during the laundering and handling operations and, therefore, there is no hunting for sock mates after the laundering and there is no loss of a sock with consequent destruction of the utility of the pair of socks. Where socks are of nearly the same color or some pairs of socks are relatively new, there is further eliminated the disadvantage of mis-matching the socks. The pairs of socks so interconnected resist even rough handling and the useof laundering machinery and the various fastening and loop elements may be made small enough so that they are unobjectionable in all respects.

Thus, the practice of my invention has eliminated a common and frequent. sourc of loss and inconvenience but it is to be understood that other and still furt ler embodiments of the invention may be made use of without departing from the invention as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

A pair of matching socks each open at its top, a tab at a side or the top of each sock consisting of a fabric strip doubled to provide a U-shaped formation and disposed in straddling relation to the upper edge oi the sock with inner and outer portions of the tab disposed against inner and outer surfaces of the sock, stitches passing through the sock and marginal portions of the inner and outer portions of the tab, and companion snap fastener members secured against the outer portions of each of the tabs carried by the socks, said fastener members being detachably engageable with each other and serving to detachably hold the socks together.

ROBERT JOSEPH BOI-IMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

